Sign Permit (Sketch Plan Zoning Review) in East Helena, Montana

East Helena requires a sign permit (sketch plan zoning review) for: Development Review Application must be completed and submitted together with the Sketch Plan Checklist, 3 sets required, to City Hall with the applicable fee; Signs must comply with the applicable zoning-district standards under Zoning Ordinance Section 7.1.08: Commercial/Industrial districts — total signage per lot not to exceed 300 sq ft, one freestanding sign per zoned lot (max 64 sq ft per sign / 192 sq ft total), wall signage up to 2.0 sq ft per linear foot of building frontage, one projecting sign per tenant (max 15 sq ft Commercial / 25 sq ft Industrial); Residential districts — signs max 32 sq ft and 8 ft height, set back at least 5 ft from the property line (principal residential uses/home occupations limited to 6 sq ft, minimum 10 ft from any property line); Agricultural Suburban district — one non-illuminated freestanding sign per 40-acre lot, max 32 sq ft; Sketch plan drawing (no larger than 11x17) showing sign location, dimensions, and setbacks in sufficient detail to demonstrate compliance with the Zoning Ordinance; Temporary/portable signs (banners, pennants, portable signs) tied to a special event are limited to a maximum of 30 days at any one time and no more than 4 separate occasions per calendar year, must be placed outside public rights-of-way and the required sight-vision triangle, and must be secured against movement; Temporary/portable signs meeting ALL of the following are exempt from obtaining a zoning permit: 6 square feet or smaller, located on private property, and in place 30 days or less at a time on no more than 4 occasions per calendar year (Zoning Ordinance Section 7.1.08(D)(4)); A City staff decision on the Sketch Plan application may be appealed by filing a notice of appeal with the Clerk of the Council within 4 days of the approval date, per Zoning Ordinance Chapter 10. If your project isn't listed, confirm with City of East Helena Department of Building & Safety — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau at (406) 227-5321 before starting work.

In East Helena, the published Sketch Plan Review Fee is: $150. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

East Helena does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of East Helena Department of Building & Safety — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau at (406) 227-5321 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Development Review Application; Sketch Plan Checklist. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through City of East Helena Department of Building & Safety — city-certified for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) only; Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical permits are issued directly by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry Building Codes Bureau at 306 E. Main Street, PO Box 1170, East Helena, MT 59635. Phone: (406) 227-5321, email: building@easthelenamt.us. Office hours: City Hall, 306 E. Main Street, East Helena, MT 59635 (Administration Department, general questions: (406) 227-5321); Building Official/LEAP staff in Room 201 of City Hall, (406) 457-8583. Official information: https://easthelenamt.us/coeh/planning-zoning-building/.

East Helena, Montana has adopted: Montana has a mandatory statewide building code administered by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) Building Codes Bureau, amended by the Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) Title 24, Chapter 301. Cities, counties, and towns may become 'certified' to locally administer permitting and inspection for all or part of the code (building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, swimming pool, WUI, etc.); non-certified trades within a certified jurisdiction, and all trades in non-certified areas, fall under direct state administration by the DLI Building Codes Bureau. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Certified City, County and Town Programs and Current Codes pages (bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits).; East Helena is a Montana DLI-certified jurisdiction for Building (B) and Swimming Pool (SP) ONLY within East Helena city limits — Colin Thomas is the certified building official of record, (406) 594-6322. East Helena is NOT certified for Electrical (E), Plumbing (P), or Mechanical (M); those permits are issued directly by the state DLI Building Codes Bureau for all addresses within East Helena city limits. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, 'CITY CODES BUILDING OFFICIAL PHONE JURISDICTION' certified-jurisdictions PDF (https://bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/building-codes-permits/certified-city.pdf), updated 04/22/2026 — East Helena row reads 'B, SP / Colin Thomas / 594-6322 / City Limits'; independently cross-confirmed against the DLI 'Certified City, County and Town Programs' HTML page (bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/certified-government), same B, SP result. Legend on the PDF: B = Building, P = Plumbing, M/G = Medical Gas, E = Electrical, M = Mechanical, SP = Pool, W = WUI (Wildland-Urban Interface).; The City of East Helena's own Construction Permit Application confirms the split directly: 'Separate permits are required for building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work,' and the city's Planning/Zoning/Building webpage links its 'Electrical Permits' quick-link directly to the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau's electrical-permits page (bsd.dli.mt.gov/Building-Codes-Permits/Permit-Information/electrical-permits), not to any city-issued electrical form. Source: City of East Helena Construction Permit Application (PDF), easthelenamt.us/PDF/building_permit.pdf; City of East Helena Planning/Zoning/Building page, easthelenamt.us/coeh/planning-zoning-building/.; 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — statewide edition effective June 11, 2022, referenced directly on the City of East Helena Construction Permit Application (IBC Sec. 109.3 and 109.3.8 quoted verbatim on the inspection-requirements side of the form) and enforced locally by the city's own DLI-certified building official. Source: City of East Helena Construction Permit Application (PDF).; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — statewide edition effective June 11, 2022; the City of East Helena's Residential One- and Two-Family Dwellings Plan Submittal Requirements document cites IRC Section R301 and IRC Section R602.10 directly for structural/lateral-bracing plan-review purposes. Source: City of East Helena Residential Plan Submittal Requirements (PDF), easthelenamt.us/PDF/COEH_BuildingPlanSubmittalInfo_2021.pdf.; 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — statewide edition effective June 11, 2022; East Helena's Plan Submittal Requirements require insulation R-values for foundations, walls, and roofs to be shown on submitted plans. Source: City of East Helena Residential Plan Submittal Requirements (PDF); Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau Current Codes page.; 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC), 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC), and 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessibility Standard — statewide editions effective June 11, 2022, applicable within East Helena as the locally-enforced editions for the Building and Swimming Pool trades the city is certified for. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Current Codes page, bsd.dli.mt.gov/building-codes-permits/current-codes.; 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC), 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), and 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) all apply within East Helena city limits as the statewide-adopted editions (effective June 11, 2022) but are administered directly by the Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau (Helena), not the City of East Helena, because East Helena holds no local certification for those trades. Source: Montana DLI Building Codes Bureau, Current Codes page; DLI Building Codes Bureau Electrical/Plumbing/Mechanical Permits pages.. Local amendments apply — see the East Helena overview page for the full list.

Generally yes, unless the sign qualifies for the small-temporary-sign exemption. Signs that comply with the Zoning Ordinance are reviewed through the Sketch Plan zoning track — a Development Review Application plus Sketch Plan Checklist submitted to City Hall for a $150 review fee — rather than a dedicated sign-permit form.

Yes. Per Zoning Ordinance Section 7.1.08(D)(4), a temporary/portable sign is exempt from obtaining a zoning permit if it is 6 square feet or smaller, located on private property, and in place 30 days or less at a time on no more than 4 separate occasions per calendar year.